A PARENT'S GUIDE TO SCHOOL BUS SAFETY
| Getting to the school bus |
- Remind
your child to get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the
school bus arrives. Children should never run after the school bus to
try to catch it if they miss their ride.
- Your child should stay
on the sidewalk; if there is no sidewalk, tell your child to walk on the
left side of the street facing traffic.
- Remind your child that
s/he should cross the street only at a corner. If there are no street
corners because your family lives in a rural community, you should show
your child the safest way to get to the bus stop. When crossing the
road, your child must remember to look to the left, then to the right,
and to the left once more before crossing.
- When the school bus is approaching the bus stop, your child must take five steps back from the road.
- Once
inside the school bus, your child should take a seat as quickly as
possible, put his/her belongings under the seat, and stay calm: no
yelling, moving between seats, or agitating other students.
- Remind your child to wait until the school bus comes to a complete stop before getting off.
- Your child should use the handrail when getting off the school bus.
| After exiting the school bus |
- It
is important for you to remind your child to stay away from the three
danger zones - the front, sides and back of the bus - by staying at
least 10 feet away from the school bus.
- If students must cross
the street, they should always cross in front of the school bus but only
after establishing eye contact with the school bus driver.
- If students drop something near or under the school bus, they should never attempt to retrieve it without the driver's permission.